“I choose Master Pei.”
The moment Bai Yuheng’s voice fell, the grand hall fell silent.
Unexpected, yet somehow inevitable.
Pei Yuan’s brow twitched ever so slightly.
“What does Master Pei think?” Emperor Yuanguang asked gently.
Both Emperor Lingzhen and Emperor Dongxuan turned their eyes toward him as well, inwardly hoping he would refuse—so that they could take the girl as their own disciple.
Every gaze in the hall turned to Pei Yuan.
“…Fine,” he said flatly after a pause. “But I’ll only take one.”
Too many people were noisy.
The purple-robed youth’s heart shattered into pieces.
Since no one objected, Lingzhen and Dongxuan let it be. After all, they were of the same sect; such a prodigy joining Tianyan Sect was an honor for them all. And it was true—the girl’s natural talent in spellcraft was undeniable.
With every disciple now chosen, the previously confident purple-robed boy suddenly panicked.
“Emperors! What about me? What should I do?”
His wide, teary puppy eyes made even the high-seated immortals hesitate.
Bai Yuheng silently lit a stick of incense in her heart for the absent sect master. You go into closed-door cultivation for a few months and everyone forgets you exist.
Trying to help, she spoke up, smiling politely.
“Isn’t there still the Sect Master? This young man’s speed in breaking the spell formation was excellent. Formations and spellcraft share the same origin—they complement each other. He’d surely excel if he studied arrays.”
That reminder finally made the three remember their senior brother, the sect master who was still in seclusion.
Lingzhen clapped her hands. “Ah, of course! Quite right. Swordsmanship itself contains array principles. The arts are interconnected—you within me, I within you.”
Dongxuan nodded approvingly. “Indeed.”
Yuanguang smiled. “Would you be willing to become the Sect Master’s disciple?”
The boy’s eyes lit up. “Yes! I would!”
“Good. You’ll formally bow to him later. However…” Yuanguang paused, then looked toward the silent man at the side. “The Sect Master is still in retreat, so you’ll need a temporary master to guide you for now.”
His gaze landed on Pei Yuan. “Master Pei, would you mind? This young man—”
The boy quickly bowed, seizing the chance. “Junior Cui Mingcan, ‘Ming’ for light and ‘Can’ for brilliance!”
Yuanguang chuckled. “Since he’s so eager to learn from you, perhaps you could take him for a few months? Fulfill his wish, if nothing else.”
Pei Yuan: “…”
He looked toward Dongxuan and Lingzhen.
The two immediately spoke in unison, almost panicked, “We already have two new disciples each!”
Pei Yuan turned to Yuanguang.
Yuanguang smiled serenely. “I only took one myself, but I’ll be busy refining pills for the Sect Master and traveling to other sects. I’m afraid I can’t take on another. I’ll have to trouble you instead.”
In other words—you’re the only one with nothing better to do.
Pei Yuan was silent for a long moment. Then he accepted his fate.
He had come alone, and now he was leaving with two disciples noisily chattering behind him.
“…,” Pei Yuan thought grimly. Somehow, walking into that hall feels like stepping straight into a trap Yuanguang dug just for me.
Back at Mount Wangxian, Bai Yuheng felt a pang of nostalgia.
Every blade of grass, every flower, every rock was the same as she remembered—as if time itself had stood still.
Her gaze drifted to the man walking ahead, and her heart swelled with emotion.
A hundred years—long enough to erase every trace of a person. Long enough to turn a bright-eyed boy into a calm, distant man.
And yet, for her, it had passed in the blink of an eye.
“Wow!” Cui Mingcan gasped, staring in awe at the magnificent scenery of Wangxian Peak—the very image of an immortal’s dwelling from the storybooks.
“What’s that?”
“That’s a celestial crane.”
“What about that?”
“…That’s a tree spirit.”
“What’s a tree spirit?”
“Every living thing has a soul,” Bai Yuheng explained patiently. “When it absorbs spiritual energy, it gains sentience and power. Some become benevolent spirits—others, evil ones, like demons or beasts.”
“Oh~ Then what’s that!?”
“That’s Emperor Lingzhen’s spirit beast, a silver flood dragon.” Bai Yuheng looked up as a massive silver serpent—hundreds of meters long—slid lazily through the clouds. “Don’t mess with it. It won’t attack unless provoked, but it can play you to death.” She grinned, baring her teeth in mock menace. “Like this—it’ll scare you half to death!”
As soon as the words left her mouth, the man leading the way stiffened and turned sharply to look at her.
“And that—”
“Stop, stop!” Cui Mingcan interrupted, overwhelmed by curiosity. He had been bombarding her nonstop, asking about everything that breathed, flew, crawled, or swam. Even Bai Yuheng was starting to crumble under the onslaught.
“All these questions will be answered properly once classes start,” she said hurriedly. “The instructors will explain everything.”
“Oh, right.” Cui Mingcan nodded, eyes shining. “You sure know a lot.”
Before she could respond, she felt another gaze on her—the cold, sharp one from the man ahead.
Her instincts screamed danger. She laughed awkwardly. “Hehe, just some homework before joining the sect. You know, ‘Know your enemy, know yourself, and you’ll never lose.’”
Cui Mingcan beamed. “Then I’ll learn from you!”
“Good lad.” Bai Yuheng patted his shoulder encouragingly.
“Since you know so much,” Pei Yuan’s cold voice suddenly cut in, “then you can find your own way.” He glanced back at her, his eyes unreadable, before turning and walking off.
Only when he was far ahead did Bai Yuheng exhale in relief.
Cui Mingcan grumbled, “What’s with him? Where are we even supposed to stay? He didn’t say a word!”
“Don’t worry,” Bai Yuheng said quickly. “I’ll take you. I… know the way.”
Of course she did—nothing on this mountain had changed.
As she led him, a pang of guilt flickered through her. No wonder Pei Yuan had turned to glare at her. The words she’d just said were exactly the same ones she’d told him a hundred years ago, the day she brought him here for the first time.
That’s Emperor Lingzhen’s spirit beast, the silver flood dragon. Don’t provoke it—it can play you to death. Like this—boo!
She could almost see it again—herself, a woman of calm beauty and grace, suddenly baring her teeth playfully as the boy stared wide-eyed. She’d flicked a quick spell to spin him upside down, laughing as he dangled helplessly in mid-air.
“It might even swallow you whole and spit you back out,” she’d teased. “Round and round until you’re scared half to death! Hah—scared yet?”
“…Scared,” the boy had whispered.
And she’d laughed brightly, wrapping him in a protective hug. “Don’t be. Master will protect you.”
Now, standing on the same mountain years later, Pei Yuan looked toward the mist-wreathed peaks, his voice barely audible.
“…Scared.”
The wind tugged at his robes, carrying the word away like a sigh.
When, Master, he thought, will you come back to protect me again?
Every new disciple initiation included an informal gathering—an old Tianyan Sect tradition. Not hosted by the elders themselves, but by senior immortals who shared their experiences and stories.
That evening, the event was lively.
As the brightest newcomer who had shattered the Spirit Stone, Bai Yuheng’s name had already spread throughout the sect. Many had never seen her, but that didn’t stop them from talking.
“I heard that girl is built like a mountain—muscles big enough to crush a cow!”
“Wow!” gasps erupted around the storyteller.
Among them, the “girl in question” nearly choked on her own breath. “…”
“Pff—hahahaha!” Cui Mingcan clutched his stomach laughing, patting her shoulder sympathetically. “From what I’ve heard, you’ve gone from a beggar clutching secret manuals, to a white-haired granny who unlocked her meridians through sheer willpower, to a feral mountain spirit—and now a muscle-bound brute who can kill cows with her fists! One mouth, one rumor—these people are truly gifted storytellers!”
“…” Bai Yuheng’s temple twitched. She could only grit her teeth in silence.
Seeing this, Cui Mingcan quickly dragged her away. “Alright, alright, they’re just talking nonsense! If they ever saw you in person, they’d be speechless by your beauty, like seeing a fairy descend from heaven!”
She gave him a look. “I’m not angry.”
He grinned sheepishly. “Good, good. I was worried you’d be upset. Girls your age care about that sort of thing, you know.”
She sighed, amused despite herself.
“Come on, let’s hurry! We don’t want to miss the fireworks!”
They squeezed through the crowd to the railing, gazing down at the mountain foot where light bloomed like a galaxy of stars.
“Bai Yuheng!” a cheerful voice called. “Cui Mingcan!”
They turned to see a familiar figure bouncing toward them—Cen Ying, her cheeks flushed with excitement.
“You’re here! I was looking all over!” She ran up, grinning. “Remember me?”
“Of course,” Bai Yuheng said warmly.
“Well, duh,” Cui Mingcan snorted. “We met today. I’m not a fish with a three-second memory.”
Cen Ying giggled. “Then we’re friends now, right?”
Without waiting for an answer, she linked arms with Bai Yuheng. “I’m sixteen this year. You?”
Bai Yuheng blinked, thinking for a moment. “…Sixteen.”
“Oh? I’m June.”
“I’m March!” Cui Mingcan butted in eagerly. “So call me brother.”
“Pfft.” Cen Ying ignored him and turned back to Bai Yuheng, eyes sparkling.
“I’m older than both of you—I’m January.”
“Oh~ Sister Bai,” Cen Ying cooed sweetly, then smirked at Cui Mingcan. “Go on, call her sister!”
Cui Mingcan groaned. “You’re not the older one, why are you so happy?”
“Because she’s older than you!”
“Childish!”
They bickered like old friends.
Then—whoosh! boom!—fireworks burst overhead, silencing them both.
The night sky bloomed with silver and gold.
Later, everyone gathered at the grand Luan Platform. An elder, looking even older than Emperor Dongxuan, used a voice-amplifying spell to greet the new disciples.
After the formalities came games and laughter. Bai Yuheng slipped quietly away to a corner, listening to the chatter around her.
“Didn’t they say Tianyan Sect had five elders? I only saw Emperor Dongxuan that day,” one young girl said dreamily. “I really want to see the famous Emperor Yuanguang—people say he’s as gentle as a celestial immortal.”
“Ha! As if we could just see them whenever we like,” another girl teased. “If your talent’s good enough, maybe you’ll get to meet them when you’re accepted as a personal disciple!”
“Then I’ll work hard!”
The two giggled, then lowered their voices for gossip.
“But you know,” the second girl said, smirking, “if you do like Emperor Yuanguang, don’t get your hopes up. They say he’s been secretly in love with the late Emperor Hengluan for centuries…”
Pfft!
Hiding in the corner, Bai Yuheng nearly choked on her own breath.
The girls glanced her way briefly, then continued whispering.
“You’re talking nonsense! I don’t like him like that!” the younger one protested, her cheeks scarlet.
“Hehe, sure, sure~”
Flustered, the twin-braided girl shot back, “Oh yeah? Then what about you and Master Pei? You’ve been dying to join his tutelage! I heard the reason he’s been staying on Mount Wangxian all these centuries is because—” she leaned closer, voice low and dramatic—
“—because he fell in love with his own master, Emperor Hengluan, and has been guarding her memory ever since!”
Pffft—!
Bai Yuheng choked again.
“???”
End of Chapter 5 – One Mouth, One Rumor: Because He Fell in Love with His Master, Emperor Hengluan